RFE: Stano expresses EU concern over festival ban

Stano is quoted as saying that the praiseworthy festival is important for the normalization of Serbia-Kosovo relations. The Miredita Dobar Dan (good day in Albanian and Serbian) festival has been held annually for several years alternating between Belgrade and Pristina as an exchange between Serbian and Kosovar artists, writers and others. The Serbian police ordered the festival shut down on Thursday citing possible security dangers and stopped a busload of Kosovar artists and festival organizers from entering Belgrade.

We are concerned by the politicazation of that cultural initiative organized by civil society organizations who want to promote inter-cultural and inter-human exchanges, he said in a written statement quoted by RFE.

Stano said that Serbia as an EU candidate country has to respect human rights, freedom of expression and the right to gather freely. He said the authorities had to make sure the festival could be organized safely.

A large group of ultra-nationalist and right wing supporters gathered in front of the venue where the festival was to have been held before it opened along with a group of young men from the nationalist conservative New Democratic Party of Serbia. N1 reporters and organizers said the police did not intervene to secure the venue.

Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said he fails to see the point of the Miredita, Dobar Dan! festival and that he personally believes that the most appropriate response to its organizers is contempt.